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Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a pigmentation disorder where melanocytes that produce skin pigment are destroyed, resulting in white patches appearing on the skin and other areas. The cause is unknown but is thought to be an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks melanocytes. About 0.5-1% of the world has vitiligo, which affects all races equally and tends to develop before age 40. There is some evidence it runs in families.

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173 views1 page

Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a pigmentation disorder where melanocytes that produce skin pigment are destroyed, resulting in white patches appearing on the skin and other areas. The cause is unknown but is thought to be an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks melanocytes. About 0.5-1% of the world has vitiligo, which affects all races equally and tends to develop before age 40. There is some evidence it runs in families.

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aizee_manlulu
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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What is vitiligo, and what causes it?

Vitiligo (vit-ill-EYE-go) is a pigmentation disorder in which melanocytes (the cells that make pigment) in the skin are destroyed. As a result, white patches appear on the skin in different parts of the body. Similar patches also appear on both the mucous membranes (tissues that line the inside of the mouth and nose), and the retina (inner layer of the eyeball). The hair that grows on areas affected by vitiligo sometimes turns white. The cause of vitiligo is not known, but doctors and researchers have several different theories. There is strong evidence that people with vitiligo inherit a group of three genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation. The most widely accepted view is that the depigmentation occurs because vitiligo is an autoimmune disease -- a disease in which a person's immune system reacts against the body's own organs or tissues. As such, people's bodies produce proteins called cytokines that alter their pigment-producing cells and cause these cells to die. Another theory is that melanocytes destroy themselves. Finally, some people have reported that a single event such as sunburn or emotional distress triggered vitiligo; however, these events have not been scientifically proven as causes of vitiligo. Who is affected by vitiligo? About 0.5 to 1 percent of the world's population, or as many as 65 million people, have vitiligo. In the United States, 1 to 2 million people have the disorder. Half the people who have vitiligo develop it before age 20; most develop it before their 40th birthday. The disorder affects both sexes and all races equally; however, it is more noticeable in people with dark skin. Vitiligo seems to be somewhat more common in people with certain autoimmune diseases. These autoimmune diseases include hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland), adrenocortical insufficiency (the adrenal gland does not produce enough of the hormone called corticosteroid), alopecia areata (patches of baldness), and pernicious anemia (a low level of red blood cells caused by the failure of the body to absorb vitamin B12). Scientists do not know the reason for the association between vitiligo and these autoimmune diseases. However, most people with vitiligo have no other autoimmune disease. Vitiligo may also be hereditary; that is, it can run in families. Children whose parents have the disorder are more likely to develop vitiligo. In fact, 30 percent of people with vitiligo have a family member with the disease. However, only 5 to 7 percent of children will get vitiligo even if a parent has it, and most people with vitiligo do not have a family history of the disorder.

http://www.medicinenet.com/vitiligo/article.htm

Trichotillomania (TTM, also known as trichotillosis,[1] or more commonly as trich) is defined as "hair loss from a patient's repetitive self-pulling of hair"[2] and is characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair, sometimes resulting in noticeable bald patches.[3] Trichotillomania is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as an impulse control disorder, but there are questions about how it should be classified. It may seem, at times, to resemble a habit, an addiction, a tic disorder or an obsessivecompulsive disorder. The disorder "leads to noticeable hair loss, distress, and social or functional impairment", and is "often chronic and difficult to treat".[3] Trichotillomania may be present in infants, but the peak age of onset is 9 to 13. Depression or stress can trigger the trich. Due to social implications the disorder is often unreported and it is difficult to predict accurately prevalence of trichotillomania; the lifetime prevalence of trich is estimated to be between 0.6% (overall) and 1.5% (in males) to 3.4% (in females). The name, coined by French dermatologist Franois Henri Hallopeau, derives from the Greek: trich- (hair), till(en) (to pull), and mania ("an abnormal love for a specific object, place, or action").[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichotillomania How is Leprosy transmitted? Kalaupapa Hawaii Genealogy Links Leprosy is transmitted by direct, person-to-person contact, usually repetitive, over a prolonged period of time. How is it transmitted? The bacterium which causes Legionnaire's disease is normally present at low levels in potable water supplies. Under the right conditions (particularly moderately hot water temperatures, from about 90 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the presence of nutrients), its population may greatly increase. If droplets of contaminated water get into the air and are inhaled by a susceptible individual, he may contract the disease. http://www.querycat.com/question/fa4baecc8d4ef823117a33a3e59507e7

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